The present invention is concerned with a portable hoist system, and in particular relates to a removable mounting body and versatile mounting bases in such portable hoist systems.
An example of a portable hoist system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,610. The portable hoist system is shown with a boom arm, a support strut, and a body or frame to which the boom and strut are attached, the support strut having a release mechanism to allow a user to fold the assembly for portability.
The portable hoist system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,610 allows for portability, but not easy removal of the hoist assembly from the base to allow a user to quickly and safely reposition the system on a different base. The safety features could be improved, as well as the ease of setup and removal of the system from the base. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a safer, more easily set up and movable portable hoist system with removability of the hoist system from a base or mount to allow a user to switch the system to different locations safely and easily with the use of various base mounts.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,537,088 also describes features of a portable hoist assembly. Both the '088 patent and the '610 patent referenced above are fully incorporated herein by reference.
It is an object of this invention to overcome problems involved in use of relatively light-duty hoists at multiple locations, by providing a safer, simpler and more easily used arrangement of a portable, foldable hoist assembly that is quickly set up and moved and compactly stowable. Another object, in a specific embodiment of the invention, is to facilitate release of the hoist system and portability of the entire assembly by a single person, while retaining the hoist assembly as one unit.
The present invention provides improvements to the features of the system as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,499,610 by providing a safer, more conveniently and easily movable portable hoist system with a removable mounting device and various base mounts for safely, quickly and easily repositioning the hoist system at various locations as needed.
In the bed of pickup trucks, in the trunks of automobiles, on trailers, in the back of vans, in boats, and on the tops of buildings or in elevator shafts, as well as in many industrial and military applications, it is not practical or economical to mount a permanent hoist for the lifting of loads. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a portable hoist system which may be easily installed and easily repositioned for use on the top of a building, in the bed of a truck, in the trunk of an automobile, in the back of a van, in boats, on a trailer, and in other similar applications and which is light-weight, easily assembled, inexpensive, and may be easily moved from place to place preferably by one person in a compact carrier, thereby providing an individual with the ability to lift loads generally requiring more than one person to properly manage.
Further, there remains a need in the art for a safer portable hoist system, one that is easily removed from the base or body and can be mounted to various base mounts in various different situations as needed. With the addition of a removable mounting device and various base mounts, problems of difficulty in setup, assembly of components, a need for multiple hoist assemblies, or loss of time for moving a portable hoist are overcome, as explained below.